African nations seek to get rid of 1st UN LGBT expert

Trump, Clinton tout rival visions of US to seal deal

UNITED NATIONS — African nations are seeking to initially suspend and then get rid of the first UN independent expert charged with investigating violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Botswana’s UN Ambassador Charles Ntwaagae said on Friday that African nations want the General Assembly to delay consideration of a Human Rights Council resolution adopted on June 30 that authorised the appointment of an expert to monitor LGBT rights in order to discuss “the legality of the creation of this mandate.”

Ntwaagae told the 193-member world body that a General Assembly resolution introduced by African nations seeking a delay also calls for suspending the activities of the first expert, Vitit Muntarbhorn of Thailand, pending a determination of the legality.

The resolution is expected to be put to a vote on Tuesday. — AP HERSHEY — US presidential foes Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brandished rival visions of America on Friday and the world held its breath as they headed into a fierce final weekend of campaigning.

Forecasts based on polling averages still give the Democrat an edge over the 70-year-old property mogul but the Republican has been buoyed by signs that he is closing the gap in key swing states.

So both headed on Friday to the industrial northeast, where blue-collar voters that were once reliable Democrats may be tempted by Trump’s protectionist promise to repatriate jobs from Mexico and China.

The prospect that the November 8 vote will be close or that a once unlikely Trump victory could presage instability and recession has rocked markets.

The S&P 500 stock index closed down for the ninth straight day on Friday, and the leaders of America’s friends and foes alike are watching in amazement as the world’s most powerful nation turns on itself.

Clinton was in Detroit, where supporters booed her populist rival when she attacked his affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin and “dark vision” of an America mired in poverty and corruption. —